


A Thief in the Night

by Distracted



Category: Leverage
Genre: Caretaker!Eliot, Friendship, Gen, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Team Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:21:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27274099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Distracted/pseuds/Distracted
Summary: Parker is in pain and Eliot is there to help.OrParker breaks into the boys' hotel room to find painkillers for her cramps. She finds Eliot instead and he surprises her by being able to help
Comments: 10
Kudos: 72
Collections: Leverage





	A Thief in the Night

A Thief in the Night 

The click of the hotel door lock opening wakes him, puts him on instant high alert. He opens his eyes slowly, seeing a flash of blonde hair just before their intruder ducks into the bathroom, a bag in her hands. It's 3:40am by the clock by his bed. 

_Just Parker,_ he thinks and almost lays his head back down, because it's not that unusual for them to duck in and out of each other's rooms and he's been asleep for less than an hour. He's pretty sure the entire right side of his body is a giant bruise and his shoulder is throbbing from a glancing blow from one of the mark's cars. Something about the scene bothers him through and he hasn't lived as long as he has in the job he does by ignoring those instincts. 

_Fuck._ The word flashes through his head in bold red letters as he rolls out of the bed, abused muscles protesting. Hardison is snoring in the other bed, ear plugs and an eye mask insulating him from the real world. Eliot hikes an eyebrow as he passes, wondering how the other man can leave himself so utterly defenseless. 

The lights are off in the hotel room, but enough filters in through the blinds that he can see where he's going. His bare feet are soundless against the plush carpet. He pauses outside the bathroom door to listen, not really sure what he's expecting to hear but it isn't a stifled groan of pain that puts him instantly on edge. 

He taps his fingers against the door, leaning close before he speaks. "Parker? What's going on?" 

"I'm fine," she says but there's a layer of strain in her voice that belies her words. "Go back to bed."

He almost does, stopping the impulse at the last second. _Don't add this to the list of things you're going to hell for, boy,_ he thinks and gives the door a gentle push. If she's hurt, he's the only one of the team with any actual medical training which means he needs to know so he can do something about it. 

She's sitting with her back to the bath, knees drawn up, arms wrapped tightly around them. Hardison's laptop bag is on the floor next to her and Eliot gets another prickle of unease. It doubles as a secondary first aid kit, because it's usually wherever the hacker is, stocked with the basics like bandages and painkillers. He's also pretty sure they used the last supplies from it earlier in the day, and he hasn't had a chance to refill it. 

"Darlin', are you hurt?" Eliot asks, and sits down carefully next to her. There's a lamp above the sink and he stretches up to click it on, feeling the pull in the muscles in his shoulder. 

"No… not hurt," Parker says, but she's even paler than normal, face drawn, and as he watches, another spasm of pain washes over her, tightening her lips into a thin line. 

"Then what's going on?" he asks, softly, and scooches over a tiny bit so their shoulders are touching. "I might be able to help, if you'll tell me." 

She turns, carefully, to face him, eyes darting over the bruising on his face, his arm, the tape and dressing peeking out of the raggy t-shirt he'd worn to bed. "You'll think I'm being a sissy," she says eventually. 

It's cold, in the bathroom and he wants his nice warm bed again, even though he knows he won't get back to sleep. "Dammit, Parker," he growls, softly and bumps her with his shoulder. "Spit it out, already." 

"I have really bad cramps," she blurts out, not really sure what to expect. Disgust, like her first boyfriend? Embarrassment? Anger, for waking him over she's old enough to deal with herself? 

To her surprise, he just quirks an eyebrow at her and sighs. "You couldn't have said that before I sat down?" he grumbles, but there's no heat in it. "Come on, I have some stuff in my duffle that'll probably help." 

He bites the inside of his lip as he stands, holding back a heartfelt groan, and mentally runs through his private stash of medical supplies. He has both heat and ice packs and a range of drugs. 

The bed creaks a little when he sits down, dragging the duffle up onto the bed next to him. 

Parker stands at the end of the bed and even at that distance, he can see her shivering. She's wearing flannel pjs with bunnies on, but they're not helping much. It's cold in the hotel, even colder outside. It had started to snow just as they made it back which is why they'd decided to stay the night. 

He glances at her, licks his lips before he speaks. "Do you want to lay down?" The thought of sending her back to the girl's room makes him uneasy. Sophie sleeps like Hardison, insulated from the world, and if Eliot is honest with himself, he'd much rather keep Parker close, where he can keep an eye on her. 

"Do you mind?" she asks softly, and he knows if he looks up, she'll be making herself small. The urge to find out who hurt her and smash their teeth down their throat is a familiar one, and he swallows it down, hard. 

"Wouldn't have offered if I did," he says and goes back to fishing in the bag, pulling out an adhesive heat patch. He uses them, occasionally, on cold mornings when he wakes up aching, stiff and sore. 

She takes it, peeling the wrapper and sticking it in place on her lower back before curling up in the bed. It's a king, so there's plenty of room. 

He pulls out the tub of drugs he always carries. Most have been legitimately prescribed to him at some point, but there are others that have found their way into his stash by less law abiding means. He finds the pills he wants and pops one out, breaking it in half. It's a painkiller and muscle relaxant combination and he's pretty sure it'll help. A full dose wipes him out which is why he rarely takes them, so he's pretty sure that half will at least let her get some sleep. 

"Have you taken anything since we got back?" he asks, because the last thing he wants to do is overdose her. 

"No, it was okay earlier," she says, curling one arm under the pillow. "How do you feel?" 

He grunts. "Like I got clipped by a car," he says with a sigh and passes her the pill along with a bottle of water. 

She eyes it, then pops it in her mouth, swallowing it and he marvels in the implied trust in that. If their situations were reversed, he's pretty sure he wouldn't have been able to do the same. It makes something sting, in his chest, just for a second.

"Eliot," she says, and something in her voice catches his attention so he turns, meeting her eyes. "Take the other half." She offers the water bottle and he takes it, knowing that she probably has a point if he doesn't want to spend the morning sore and stiff and miserable. Half a pill is a low dose for him but he swallows it anyway, then stands, intending to sack out on the sofa until a more reasonable hour when he can get up and scrounge for breakfast. 

"Stay?" she asks, softly and without looking at him, like it's the hardest question she's ever had to utter. 

He wants to say no, wants to stand and walk away, but he can't deny the look in her eyes, like she's already expecting the worst. He might be a bastard but he's never deliberately hurt any of his team and he's not about to start now. He eases under the comforter, shifting a bit until he finds a spot that's comfortable for both his back and his ribs. 

"Thank you, Eliot," she whispers, reaching over to rest her fingers on the inside of his wrist. 

"Anytime, Parker," he says, but she's already asleep.


End file.
